YouTube queen to star in Plymouth Rock Studios TV series

After years studying opera, writing music, singing and performing in her own videos, 23-year-old Jodie Rivera is turning the right heads.

Emily Wilcox

After years studying opera, writing music, singing and performing in her own videos, 23-year-old Jodie Rivera is turning the right heads.

Dubbing herself “The Venetian Princess,” this diminutive dynamo has taken YouTube by storm, with a fan base of 9 million. Now, NBC wants to talk to her, and Plymouth Rock Studios co-founder David Kirkpatrick has cast her in the role of Tiffany in the TV series called, (what else?), Plymouth Rock Studios.

“When I was 8, I got my first video camera,” Rivera said. “I’ve always been fascinated by visual affects, and I love the creative freedom.”

She launched her video blog “The Venetian Princess” on YouTube in September of 2006 with little idea where it would take her. Millions of bloggers obsessed with YouTube’s “lonelygirl15” were recovering from the shock that she was, in fact, a fictional character played by an actress and not for real. It was right around this time that Rivera’s video blog was posted on YouTube’s main page where folks were accessing “lonelygirl15.” Viewers started visiting Rivera’s site as well, enthralled by her “Princess Chronicles” video series – the story of a princess who travels around the world.

And around the world Rivera went to millions of computer screens.

It’s no jaw-dropper that Rivera is inspired by famous director Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton. Her videos are eye candy, filled with vivid colors, far-out dreamscapes and Rivera in wild costumes she creates herself. She writes the script, performs music she writes, stars in the show and produces all the special effects.

Her original “green screen,” a digital device used by TV techies to create backdrops, was in her closet. In time, she moved her operation to the family’s living room.

Rivera said she’s always wanted to be a performer, and took ballet, tap, jazz and vocal lessons as a kid. She continued her studies at the South Shore Conservatory in Hingham and at the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she studied for two years.

All that work has paid off for Rivera, whose 4-minute video Somewhere Else won Samsung’s Juke Box Hero contest, which carried with it $10,000 worth of studio equipment.

Clearly, the sky’s the limit for Rivera, who will delve into Plymouth Rock Studios’ Tiffany – a character who assists a curmudgeon movie executive by the name of David Kirkpatrick. Yes, he’s playing himself.

Kirkpatrick said Tiffany is a 22-year-old virgin in the show who is smarter than all the movie execs around her. The hilarious script chronicles the startling collision of Hollywood and America’s Hometown and takes a humorous jab at the prejudices lurking behind public opinion.

Kirkpatrick said his company is all about what’s happening with Rivera as well as with Josh Bethoney of Bridgewater, hired to produce the show. Drawing from local talent is part of the mission of Plymouth Rock Studios, and the actual studio he’s hoping to build in South Plymouth will feature a comprehensive educational component, including internships and training. The days when talented people like Rivera had to trek into New York or move to Los Angeles are gone, he said; the industry is more accessible to everyone now.

And Plymouth Rock Studios isn’t just about young stars like Rivera and up-and-coming producers like Bethoney. Kirkpatrick stressed that people of all ages seeking to transition into a new careers will also be hired for crew jobs as well as performance.

Kirkpatrick intends to begin shooting Plymouth Rock Studios, the series, in March, for airing sometime this spring or summer.